Rating: 
Summary: Favorite book of the year
Review: This book qualifies for my favorite books of the year 2001 for me. It's great, personal, and I relate to the characters. I know, it's mostly a true story. And that's great too.
Rating: 
Summary: Praise Dave Eggars - A Gen. X Masterpiece
Review: I commend Dave Eggars for publishing a thoroughly enjoyable book. Despite the mixed reviews, I have nothing but praise for this book. It clearly illustrates a life adventure of a broken family - plagued by death. In the adversity of Eggar's situation, he is able to laugh and illustrate clearly but most entertainingly the journey he has made since the loss of his parents. Having been through a very similar situation and being the same age as Eggars, I can clearly relate, laugh and cry with him. Bravo. A masterpiece. Way to go Eggars!
Rating:
Summary: A Tristram Shandy for the late 20th/early 21st Cenurty
Review: I just know many (but not all) TS fans and experts are shrieking at this connection. However, it is a comparison not simply based on the cute tricks both authors play with their novels. I think both Eggers and Sterne share an appreciation (if that is the right word) for mortality and the terror of death. They both realize that one of the best ways to both subvert the fear of death while-at the same time-getting the most pleasure out of life possible is by drowning in your sense of humor. I feel certain that if Sterne could have read A.H.W.O.S.G.(and gotten past the multiple late 20th Century references he could not have understood) he would have enjoyed it.
Rating: 
Summary: A So-So Work by an Inflated Ego
Review: Let's face it, this isn't a great book, or even a good book. I think everyone *wants* this to be a great book, because either a) they pity the author for the tragic experiences he went through or b) they have bought into the ridiculous hype that has surrounded this book since its publication. If Eggers had stuck to the ostensible theme outlined on the dust jacket (his parents demise and raising his brother), he would have written a good book. The passages dealing with this theme are incisive and poignant, but only make up about a third of the pages. The rest is uninspired drivel detailing the mundane and banal brain-farts of a Gen-Xer in the first of many mid-life crises. Particularly off-putting is Eggers' nauseating obsession with fame and celebrity--he seems to suggest that a life where one does not become famous is one not worth living. It is the ultimate irony that Eggers tried to appear on "The Real World", a show that serves to remind the world that the latest generation of twenty-something's are a despicable, embarrassing lot.
Rating: 
Summary: An Amazing Review of Immortal Intelligence
Review: Do not buy this book if you are not the kind of reader who can stomach "experimental English". This book is challenging in the kind of way that "Ulysses" is challenging - at times it can be a tough read, trying to follow what is going on. There is a lot of self-indulgence on the part of the author in this book. Some reviewers have pointed this out but have excused this behaviour on the basis that Eggers is clearly aware when he is being so. I could never make up my mind whether Eggers was being annoying. I can't work out whether this book has been written with Eggers' tounge firmly in his cheek - I think so, but the fact that the subject matter and the humour in this book is at its heart the harrowing death of his parent and the aftermath makes for (at times) uncomfortable reading. The book is, however, extremely wonderful in many respects. The best parts are without question the sections of the book where Eggers relays memories of the time with Toph, with his mother and his poignant trip back to Chicago. Eggers was always amusing when describing his fears about the babysitters!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent story
Review: Dave Eggers is one of those writers that has an extremely flowing and manic style that had me reading much faster than normal. I particularly loved this book because I live in the bay area in California, which is the setting for most of the book. This book is a pleasure to read about the ups and downs of life.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Delightful!
Review: I adored this book. Most of the people who did not like this book complained about the hype, and not about the actual, witty, endearing, novel. I had heard nothing about AHWOSG when I picked it up in the store, but after reading the first few pages I was hooked. This book is clever, and the characters above all are very memorable. Read it! You won't be disappointed!
Rating:
Summary: Staggering is definitely the word
Review: This book was one part genius, two parts heartbreaking and five parts staggering. I bought it because the copywrite page had me cracking up in the bookstore, and when I read the first few pages out loud to my teenagers, we were laughing together (mostly because they thought hearing mom edit as she read was hilarious).
Eggers is right when he tells you that much of the book can be skipped. It does get a little tedious in the middle, but it's still worth reading. And it's good to know we have "permission" to skim through the long boring parts. The MTV interview, in particular, starts becoming repetitive and deserves to be skimmed. Interestingly though, after I was done with the book I went back and re-read the parts I had skimmed. They were still long and boring, but added to the story. Eggers set himself up with the title -- we expect SO much when we're told we're reading a work of genius. When I finished the book, however, I realized that Eggers ego works for him. While I may disagree about the level of genius, I realize he could not have "made it through" his life without humor, mania, and ego.
If nothing else, the book reminds me that we "all have a story" and that it's how we live that story that matters. The book bordered on 3 3/4 stars--it's readable, it's interesting, but it runs long. I'd definitely recommend it as an "interesting" book. When friends ask about it, I tell them only to read it if they're up for the emotional rollercoaster of a twenty-something young man with too much responsibility. And if they're okay with knowing ahead of time that they'll likely be skipping entire sections of the book.
Rating:
Summary: Staggeringly Amazing
Review: This book is one of the greatest I have ever encountered. Written by David Eggers, it traces the intricacies of the author's childhood; from the tragic experience of his mother and father's passing to his struggles and witty commentary on raising his younger sibling. Embued with Gen X sarcasm, Eggers speaks with a voice that forces the reader to contemplate the complications and experiences of the youth of modern America in a most captivating manner.
Rating:
Summary: this is my title for lack of a better title
Review: Not only is Dave Eggers a wonderfully nice guy, his novel... semi-autobiography is exceptional. The title, though, was a joke. To clarify, Dave Eggers did not intend people to take the title seriously so if you happen to think that he used that title because he believes himself to be a heartbreaking genius, perhaps he is a genius.
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